The Tone of the poem a government driver on his retirement
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Answer:
The themes of the poem should include survival of the loyal, freedom from servitude, the inevitability of death, passage of time amongst others.
Survival of the loyal: The persona is seen as a civil servant who is ready to accept any form of subjugation in order to survive. He says he has endured "his boozy throat" being "pummeled" with "rules and regulations". He did everything possible to remain obedient to the guiding instructions of the government establishment.
Freedom from servitude: The end of his service to the government signifies his freedom. He rejoices at the thought of being free from daily engagements with his duty. He feels his thirty-five years of service is a form of bondage. His retirement from service is freedom to him. To celebrate his freedom, he calls his friends with whom he gets drunk to stupor.
The inevitability of death: To everything that has a beginning, there is an end. The bid to remain alive and employed lingers on after his retirement but this time he decides to loosen his grip on survival and ends up losing his life. There is a moral lesson here. Life is transient and when not well handled, it may be lost. He retires not only from work but also from life itself.
Passage of time: In his repetitive stance, he counts his time as a government driver. He has served for thirty-five years during which he sometimes remained on the road, slept in the vehicle or went home late at night. He calls his friends to rejoice with him in the passing moment of celebration.